Shutter for the headlights of motor cars, motor cycles, and other vehicles



Feb. l2, 19.24.l

F. W. J. ROBINSON SHUTTER FOR THE EEADLIGHTS 0F MOTOR CARS,l MOTOR CYCLES., AND `OTHER VEHICLES Filed April 25 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 12 1924. v 1,483,616

F. w. J. ROBINSON SHUTTER FOR THE-HEADLIGHTS OF MOTOR CARS, MOTOR CYCLES, AND OTHER VEHICLES Filed April 23 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ven far:

Patented Febu 12,1924. i

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FRANCIS w. J. ROBINSON, or GERMISTON, TnANsvAIQ, SOUTH AFRICA.

' siIUTTnR ron THE HEADLIGHTS or MOTOR Cass, MOTOR CYCLES, AND OTHER VEHICLES.

Application med April 23, 192s.A serial No. 634,100.

To all whom t 'may concern-f l Be it known that I, FRANCIS WILLIAM JAMES ROBINSON, a citizen of the Union of South Africa, residing at 12 Small Street,

Germiston, Transvaal, South Africa, haveA invented a new and useful Shutter for the Headlights of Motor Cars, Motor Cycles,

and Other Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new device for dimming and deflecting the illumination of the headlights of motor-cars, `motor-cycles and other vehicles, wherein I provide a shutter of the louvered type consisting of a suitable number of blades or leaves of suitable material placed in front of` the headlight.

This shutter may be drawn down in front of the'light, thus deflecting the light in front of and around the front of the vehicle, when in town orA approaching other vehicles; or whenv in open roads the' shutter mayr be drawn up allowing the full illumination of the lamp to be used.

The said shutter is operated by a cable of4 the ordinary Bowdentype, in conjunction with a lever placed at any convenient' point in the motor-car or other lvehicle in y y Y preventthe naked light from shining otherrIhe said shutter is contained in a holder* which the invention yis used.

of shape and size suitable to fit over the front of the headlight.

In order that my invention may be readily understood and carried into practice, reference is hereby made to the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a plan view along line II-II of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 a central vertical section thereof;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of one of the leaves or blades comprising the shutter, complete in its metal holder;

Fig. 5 is a plan of the lowermost leaf showing the means of attaching the device for raising and lowering the shutter; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are cross sections on an enlarged scale taken at different points of a leaf showingl details.

In these drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts wherever occurring in more than one figure.

Referring toFigs. 1, 2, 3 and 5, A, etc., represents the leaves or blades comprising the shutter. These leaves are made `of mica f or other suitablesubstancer and are painted 'or stained blue or some kindred colour, of a transparency sulicient to allow the` light to shine through on to the ground about 4:0

feet or other convenient distance in front of the vehicle, according to the angle at which the lamp isset. A medium suitable for colouring the said leaves as aforesaid is a lacquer as used for colouring electric light globes.

The said leaves or blades, A, are each contained in a metal frame, B, Awhereof a suitable form is represented (in front elevation) in Figa.

f In the said frame of eac-h leaf (or in each leaf itself) are holes at two points, C, and C2, equidistant from the centre `thereof, through. which pass two parallel metal bars .C suitably attached at both ends to the hold- The said `leaves oomwise "than `on the ground in front of the vehicle). The said angle is set b-y two small hooked rods E, which are shown most clearly in Figs. 6 and 7, projecting from the frame of each leaf (or from each leaf itself) at an obtuse angle of, say, 150, or at such other angle as may be convenient, each of the said small rods coinciding approximately in length with the breadth of the leaves or blades. Each of the said rods, further, passes through holes, F, in the frame of the leaf (or in the leaf itself) immediately above, and the leaves thus connected are prevented from becoming disengaged by a small knob at the end of each rod of ai size sufficient to prevent it from passing through the holes F. The portion of the leaf or blade immediately above each of the aforesaid small rods is out away in Order to allow the leaves to fold away without fouling, so that all the leaves or blades taken together present a staggered or echelon formation, as will more fully appear from Fig. 1.

By this device the leaves are set at a constant angle, and each one of the said leaves is allowed thereby to come into its proper hereinafter to be described. At the top of the bottom leaf of the shutter a metal rod, I, is suitably attached by its ends, on which are placed two collars, K, S that they are free to slide along the said rod I. The said lazy-tongs device is pivotally connected to the said collars, K'. The'said lazy-tongs device is extended and contracted by means of vthe operation of a cable of the ordinary Bowden type, whereof the inside wire is suitably connected to the lazy-tongs device at the pivoted point I-Il, the end of the hollow or outside cable, L, being suitably mounted on the holder of the shutter, as will more clearly appear from Figs. 1 and 3.

By the operation therefore of a lever of the ordinary/type at the other end of the said cable, the lazy-tongs device, G, is eX- tended and contracted, and by such eXtension and contraction the leaves comprising the shutter are lowered and drawn up, so as, respectively, to obscure and to reveal the rays of the lamp.

rI'he holder or case D of a suitable nature to contain the shut-ter is adapted to lit in vfront of a motor-car or motor-cycle headlight lof the ordinary type, wherein M represents the circular aperture through which the light shines, and N that portion of the holder into which the leaves A are withdrawn by the operation of the apparatus hereinbefore described. In the circular aperture M, a glass, O, is fitted.

I claim l. A shutter for headlights, comprising a vertical set of connected leaves, a horizontal member secured to the upper part of the bottom leaf and provided withfa pair of spaced slides, a case or holder wherein the leaves are disposed, a lazy-tongs device within the case for operating said leaves pivotally connected at its lower end to said slides Iand at its upper end to one wall of said case, and a member connected to the upper portion of lthe lazy-tongs device to actuate the same; substantially' as described.

Q ,A' shutter for headlights, comprising a set of superposed leaves; the upper portions of all of the leaves having pairs of openings 'which' aline with one another throughout the entire set of'lea-ves, and each leaf-'excepting the bottoni one also having a second pair of openings in its upper por tion, the last-named pairs of openings being offset relatively to one another; a'case or holder wherein the leaves are disposed, a pair of parallel vertical 'guide rods secured in the case and extending through the irstnamed pairs of openings, a pair of parallel supports fixed at their lower ends to' the upper portion of each leaf and having hooked'upper ends which are loosely engaged in the second-named pair ofopenings in the next higher leaf, anda device connected to operate all of the leaves in unison; substantially as described.

FRANCIS w. J. RoBrNsoN.

Witnesses D. ROBERTSON, A. MUNDI. 

